War Bride Director's Note...

 

Xenophobia: noun

an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

I remember asking my mother the meaning of the word when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I found the definition shocking.  Why would you despise people just because they come from a different place or have a different skin color?  I grew up in an extremely integrated community and had friends of every race and color growing up. My parents were part of a group that hosted international visitors and we often had foreign guests in our home.  I didn't realize until I moved away how unique an upbringing that was.

War Bride takes place in Merced, California in the fall of 1945; right after the War in the Pacific has ended. People are still scared and unsure about what happens next.  Japanese American citizens remain interned at Manzanar and at other camps throughout the Western United States (The last camp did not close until March of 1946).  Our title character walks into a world in which she is automatically feared and hated. Japanese books, literature; really any study of the culture at all are considered contraband and the possession of such things can result in incarceration or worse.  She also has a secret and needs an ally. The journey that she needs to travel, both physically and metaphorically, is tremendous.  The journey that Catherine makes in trying to understand her is no less arduous. 

I was drawn to this project on numerous levels.  First and foremost is the story, which I shall not spoil for you by sharing, but I will tell you that it is original and told in a unique voice, something that is sadly lacking in theater today. Women are also missing in much of American Theater. We are a small minority of the directors, playwrights, choreographers, producers, and yes, of the actors on stage.  Any project that brings us together and focuses on the female experience is one that I am very interested in being a part of! 

Finally, the Asian American story is one that needs to be told. The Japanese experience, especially during and immediately after World War Two is an enormous facet of it.  Approximately 46, 000 Japanese war brides came to the United States following the War in The Pacific. Our treatment of Japanese American citizens during the war is one of the darkest hours of our recent collective history, yet is repeated, in different degrees, whenever we as a nation feel threatened. I feel that whenever we can examine ourselves, as a people, through art, we have the opportunity to evolve.  Authenticity is an enormous element of this and I am proud of the fact we have roles for Asian actors that we have cast with Asian actors. I fully support color-blind casting when race is not central to the story. When it is, I think that every effort should be made to find actors of the representative group and am so thrilled with our group of Asian and specifically Japanese actors. 

This play has been a wonderful collaborative experience and I am so thrilled to have been a part of it. I am especially grateful to Samantha Macher for writing it and to Heidi Hostetler for being my right hand.  

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